Forrest Hall, Georgetown

Today, it’s a Gap clothing store. But almost 150 years ago, the large Greek Revival building at 1258 Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown was Forrest Hall, an assembly hall where Mark Twain gave a lecture. 

Named for its owner, wealthy Georgetown resident Bladen Forrest, the building opened in 1851. According to local author Tim Krepp, Forrest Hall’s meeting rooms hosted groups like the Masons and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, who discussed issues like retroceding Georgetown back to Maryland.

Greater Greater Washington